Rights Information

Its author, Kim Ekemar is the sole awner of all rights to this book.

No rights have, so far, been sold to any third parties.

Reviews

“Death comes in many guises and registers—tragic, comic, ironic—in these mordantly entertaining stories. Ekemar crafts vivid, matter-of-fact yarns about characters confronting, evading, risking, and sometimes welcoming death. A blithe rich man’s fatal attraction to bullfighting unravels his secret lives; a Tibetan monk attempts a do-or-die escape from a Chinese prison; a Swedish businessman told that he has a year to live embarks on a plot to ensure that if death is inevitable at least taxes won’t be; a German officer makes himself the very picture of a competent bureaucrat and loving family man while also running a death camp; a henpecked husband fakes his own death to escape the improvement regimen of his shrewish wife; a lucky lottery ticket brings joy and then grief to a Malaysian farmer; a shipwreck survivor sees his only chance for life in a boat full of corpses; a Russian duchess is courted by a mysterious, handsome figure in black; a condemned man waiting for his lethal injection to kick in looks back on his adventures with the vengeful femme fatale who caused his predicament; and in the collection’s most disturbing tale, a Guatemalan youth viciously abused by society vents his rage on an even more innocent victim. Ekemar’s tales are vigorously plotted genre pieces, full of engrossing procedural on prison breaks, bank fraud, mass extermination, and improvised shark fishing, along with colorful characters caught in improbable circumstances and deadpan wit. They manage to invest sometimes-lurid scenarios with psychological depth and social nuance, whether set in a placid Swiss suburb or a fetid jungle narcotics depot. Despite their lugubrious theme, these are lively stories told with considerable style and verve. A collection of engrossing dances with death that highlights the vanity and poignancy of life.” - Kirkus Reviews

A powerful and fascinating read! Each of these short stories communicates a very unique concept. Death plays a variety of roles in the narratives. It isn't always the enemy or even always the end of the story. It can be seduction, relief, defeat, karma, freedom, failure, victory, or routine.

I found these stories artfully done. There were certainly parts that were emotionally difficult to read, but the whole was tasteful. I found the stories thought-provoking rather than flinch-inducing.

I am always thrilled when I can rate a book 4 out of 4 stars. Kim Ekemar's Graveyard Grapevine collection is a powerful and fascinating read. After I had finished the book, I tried to think back and pick a favorite story, but they were all so different and so well written that I couldn't decide on the best. I would recommend this book to any mature reader. If you are looking for a serious read that will inspire your thoughts and help you appreciate the struggles and hardships of individuals across time and space, Graveyard Grapevine might be exactly the book you need. – Onlinebookclub Reviews

Author Biography

I've been fortunate with opportunities to travel the world, counting Mexico, France, Sweden and Spain as my home at one time or other. In the past, a good part of my life was dedicated to business ventures: an art gallery, an advertising agency and commodity trading, among others. 

My travels have taken me to faraway places and amazing situations. I arrived in Mongolia just as the revolution for independence from the USSR started. I have been taken up the Sepik river by crocodile hunters in Papua Guinea. I’ve climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya, gone horseback riding to where the Río Magdalena in Colombia begins, crossed the Australian desert, hiked the Inka trail the wrong direction in Peru, and much more. However, the experience with the most impact that I’ve lived through was to be arbitrarily jailed in a centre for torture in Paraguay during the Stroessner dictatorship, under the absurd accusation of being a terrorist.

During the past two decades, I've been focused on artistic expressions – painting, photography, design and architecture, but mainly on writing. The sources for the things I'm interested in writing about are the passions of people; places and customs that I've experienced around the world; and stories or situations from life that intrigue me. However, I'm convinced that none of the aforementioned is enough to create a work of literature (or any kind of artwork, for that matter), unless it's supported by a strong, fundamental idea. 

My interests are centred around languages, music, travelling to extraordinary places, and all visual arts. These elements, I believe, occupy a large place in what I write. Moreover, I perceive my literary work easy to visualise because of them.